Castle On A Cloud
It's not long after the death of Alena Skalsky, beloved sister and friend. Eliska, her twin sister, hates to admit it but she can barely get by without her sister. Eírik, the boy that Alena had a crush on, never got to confess that he shared her feelings. What will happen as life unfolds for all the demigods that knew Alena? Before you start telling me that I copied the title from the Les Miserables song, I was inspired by it. Nothing more. Really, if it were my way, there would be a sequel where it's all about Eírik and Eliska being all emo and Eírik never finds true love and Eliska does and yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I'll shut up nao. More OC/OC <3 |3 /brick'd. Oh, this also has in Eírik's 3rd person POV. I thank Kyra/Kiwi for the amazing logo. Thalia Daughter Of Nemesis 03:55, May 31, 2010 (UTC) Chapter One, Eírik The shroud burning had gone horribly. Eírik was suffering one of the worst kinds of heartaches. No, he couldn't remember the romantic times they'd spent together-- there were none. The only thing close to romance that they'd shared were the few times that Mathias had dared the two to kiss. The only memories that Eírik held dear were the ones when they first met, the good ones when they were friends and nothing more. He felt a familiar feeling of being hollow. Eliska had pretty much told the whole camp of he and Alena's mutual crush, to which he'd turned bright tomato red. Eírik headed towards the training arena. Some sword play would calm him, hopefully. The one thing that kept nagging his mind was how Mathias had betrayed he and Alena. The two had befriended him when he'd been branded a freak. They'd done that for what? Future betrayal? Nothing. A few good laughs and wasted suggestions. Eírik picked up a training sword and swung furiously at the dummy. The sword bounced off the armour with such force that it flew out of his hands and crashed into the wall. For a few minutes, Eírik simply glared at it. He sighed and walked to get it, feeling like a fool with every painful step. Eírik's legs felt like lead. Misery and a sort of light fear weighed them down. His arms were starting to feel the same way. He headed out of the arena, leaving the sword lying there uselessly. Heading towards the cabins, Eírik saw Eliska and Ian holding hands and walking by the lake. He swore he could hear distant waves sighing with sadness, remembering two unspoken lovers walking by the shore. (A/N:: Direct reference from Alexander Rybak, If You Were Gone.) The next few days felt pointless for the Czech boy. They seemed tedious and useless. What was the point of learning how to wield a sword, learn Ancient Greek, and learning how to use a bow? If he died fighting some monster, he could at least see Alena again. Eírik started to contemplate suicide. Really, no one at camp knew who he was. He was a nobody. As Eírik stormed towards the forest, he bumped into the slightly new girl. She stumbled backwards and blinked rapidly a few times. She had the most brilliant grey eyes that he'd ever seen. Her skin was a cool ivory, not used to what he was seeing on girls at Camp. The girl's hair was a chestnut brown that Eírik had used to fancy. She gazed deeply into his blue eyes. "Uhm... Sorry." She murmured, tugging at her clothes. "It's m-my fault." Eírik tried to speak in an 'American' accent. "Oh... 'Kay... Are you okay?" "Yeah. I'm Eírik, by the way." "Cool. My name's Alicia." Eírik nodded. "Daughter of?" "Uhm, Hades. You?" "Unclaimed. I'll see you later, Alicia." "You too." Eírik walked off, feeling a bit happier after making a new friend. She was pretty, but not as much as Alena had been. No matter what he did, he couldn't get his mind off Alena. That was why he headed towards the forest. He needed a breather, a moment to expel the horrible feelings that tumbled inside him. Leaning and sitting against a tree, Eírik took a deep breath. He already felt somewhat better. It was a few hours before Eírik heard the call for lunch. He stumbled towards camp, feeling useless and miserable. His time in the forest had made him feel nothing but worse. Sitting with his cabin-mates, he stared down at his food. He pushed it around and ate minimal amounts. Mostly, he sipped some water, knowing that later, he'd be wishing he'd eaten. Eírik headed back to the Hermes cabin early. While he was walking off, Alicia fell in step with him. Partway through their conversation, she pointed to his head, gasping. He had no idea until he looked. Finally, he'd been claimed. Chapter Two, Eliska Eliska walked to her cabin that night. She sighed and started to clean out her sister's bunk, grabbing every single pair of shorts and shirts she could find. Piling them into her old suitcase, she checked under the bed once more. There was a small box, an old 'Rocket-Dogs' shoebox. She pulled it out, curiosity flaring. Popping open the top, she gazed onto what seemed to be piles of letters, all enveloped neatly and addressed to none other than Eírik Kovarik. Curious, the Czech girl grabbed the top one, the most recent one and opened it slowly. Inside was a very old piece of paper, probably from the early 1900's. Where Alena'd gotten the paper, she had no idea. It could've possibly been from their great-grandparents, something their father'd had from them. It was written in flawless Czech, the letters and accents perfectly written in her sister's neat hand. The letters were written about how undying and everlasting love. All of Eliska's twin sister's feelings were spilled onto the pages, perfectly worded and poetic. She read three of them before realizing that Alena would never want her seeing these, never even knowing of them. The person she'd wanted to read these was Eírik. The love letters were addressed and meant for him. Eliska slipped the open letters back in the box, discarding the ugly old envelopes. She headed for the Hermes cabin to share them with the addressee. "Yes?" Eírik answered her incessant knocks on the door, looking drowsy yet excited. "These are for you. Alena wanted you to have them." Eliska shoved the box into his hands, avoiding eye contact. "What are they?" Before the short teen could reply, she'd started skulking towards the forest, hoping desperately to find her new boyfriend. He could very well cheer her up. Before she could make it to even the hearth, Eírik was calling her back. In his hands he held one of the letters, staring wide-eyed at it as the blonde girl walked shyly closer. Her face was a light reddish shade as she saw his nearly devastated look. His face was ashen and he looked like he was about to vomit. Waving his best friend's sister inside the cabin, Eírik shuddered with a shaky breath. He sat down on a random empty bunk and put his head down, clasping it with his hands. His voice shook as he spoke, or at least stuttered syllables and sentence-fragments. He took a few deep breaths and gave up speaking English. (A/N:: Google translate won't cooperate so t'is translated) "Alena wrote these, right?" Eírik gulped back a sob. "Yeah. She really liked you." Eliska grabbed her elbow with her other hand. She stood awkwardly, leaning on one leg and biting her lip. "Obviously. Each one says so. Why'd she never give them to me?" Eliska shrugged, letting some of her blonde hair fall onto her back. "Got too nervous or scared, I would assume." "Right. I was planning to tell her after the quest. But then she died." "Yeah. You're lucky you weren't there." "She... I felt the same way, with all of these." Tears formed in Eírik's eyes, teasing to try and spill over. "Alena was quite the poet, yes?" Eírik nodded solemnly. "Go, please. I need to... think." Eliska quietly left, bobbing her head in a response. She headed to the Hebe cabin, trying to find Ian. Knocking on his cabin, she twirled her hair. He answered, holding a bottle in his hands. It was a plain water bottle filled with a slightly off-looking liquid. It smelled like alcohol in the cabin. Eliska raised her eyebrows at the water bottle. Ian tossed it at his half-brother, Trent. "What was that?" Eliska demanded, wondering why her boyfriend had wanted to hide it from her. "Nothing, why?" Ian's voice was slurred slightly, as though he were scared or drunk. "We need to talk." Chapter Three, Eírik Eírik quickly finished packing, drying his tears and grabbing his bags. He looked like he'd been crying and it was obvious he was. No one could be oblivious to how childish he was. Stalking away from the Hermes cabin, Eírik took a few deep breaths in order to calm himself. He dropped the letter-box and reached to grab it. Before he could, Alicia did. She took it and started to open it. "What's this?" She wondered aloud, sweeping her black hair out of her face. "Letters from home. From my grandparents and mother." Eírik took the box out of her hands, speaking much too quickly. "Oh. Goin' to your new cabin? After dinner, meet me somewhere, 'kay?" He nodded, pulling the box closer to his chest. He kept walking towards the cabin that his dad owned. A sort of anger burnt in his throat. His mother, if you did the math, had given birth to Eírik when she was seventeen. He could feel his face flush as he stopped at the door. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, standing in the doorway. Laying on the nearest bed was a young girl with blonde hair. "Whoa," The young girl sat up, ripping the ear-buds of her iPod out. "Who're you?" "Eírik," He murmured, heading for the nearest, empty bunk. An older girl with brown hair looked up from work at her desk. Her eyes were a light blue, almost so light that they were clear. She was around Alena's age, Eírik would gander. She stood up and walked over to him. She was short, coming up only to his chin. Of course, most girls did. "Welcome to the Morpheus cabin. How old are you?" She asked, inspecting him with those piercing eyes. "Eighteen." Eírik sat down on the bunk, slipping the box and his suitcase onto the bed. "I see. I'm Breanne. This is Alyssa." Eírik nodded, starting to unfold his sleeping bag out on his bunk. The girls didn't hover. They talked and went back to what they'd been doing. Breanne continued writing on her piece of paper, intently doing so until Eírik's curiosity peaked. He walked over to what she was doing. The paper was filled with designs for something, neatly written notes beside each figure. "What is this?" He murmured, making her gasp. Breann looked up and smiled. "I like my armour custom-made. The Hephaestus kids are really nice about it so I make them these, they make me my armour." "That's cool." "It is. They're, as I said, really nice about it too. They often ask for custom designs." "Your artwork is really neat." "Thank you." Dinner passed quickly. It was much nicer being with his siblings than with people he was hardly related to at all. Eírik caught Alicia looking up at him from the Hades table. He smiled at her, hoping to find out what she wanted to talk about. Finally, dinner ended and the two caught each other near the hearth. Alicia's face was a light shade of red. She avoided eye contact. "Eírik," Alicia drew a deep breath. "Uhhmm... I dunno how to say this..." "What is it?" Eírik cocked his head slightly to the side. "I... love you, Eírik." Chapter Four, Eliska Eliska felt pain, disappointment, and anger tumbling inside her stomach all at once. She grabbed Ian by the arm and took him outside his cabin, face feeling hot with rage. Trent was switching the songs to some techno song that made the girl's ears hurt. Her stomach was starting to churn uncomfortably. The afternoon sun felt hot on her back, making her wish they'd gone behind the cabin where it was shady. "What is that?" Eliska demanded, accent making her cheeks burn like she'd been slapped. "This? Water, duh. Babe, why're you bein' like this?" Ian laughed. "You on that time of the month?" "What? No! You've never called me 'babe' before. What's with you? Give me that bottle." "I just had a really good day, I guess. Its just water, Elle." Eliska grabbed the water out of his hands, murmuring, "Good day my a**." Unscrewing the cap of the water bottle, she stuck her nose in it. Behind the smell of Ian's mint tooth-paste, there was a distinct smell of alcohol. It smelt like nail polish remover. She knew the smell from anywhere. When she and Alena had been walking home one of their first days in New York, they'd come across a drunk man carrying vodka. His breath and the bottle had stunk just like this one. In a fit of anger, the short teen threw the bottle to the ground, eyes burning with tears. She dared not cry in front of this insensitive jerk. She just stood there in front of him, staring into his startled bluish eyes. The vodka leaked slowly out of the water bottle, sinking into the grass. The nymphs wouldn't be happy. "What- Ian... How could you do this? Why?" Eliska stammered, tears nearly falling, her attempt at composure proving futile. "Trent got some booze from the Hermes kids and we decided to have some fun, the normal stuff. We're teens, we're allowed to have fun. Why dontcha live a little, Ellie?" Ian reached around and slapped the back pockets of his girlfriend's jeans. She slapped him in return. "Ty kreténe! Slez ze mě, já se nikdy nechci vidět už nikdy!" (A/N:: "You a$$hole! Get off me, I never want to see you, ever!") "Wh-Whut?" "Jděte pryč! Vypadni z mého života!"' (A/N:: "Go away! Get out of my life!")' "Talk English, sl-" "We are done!" "Are you breaking up with me?" "Yes! Now leave me alone, I hate you! Even after my sister killed!" Before Ian could reply, Eliska had stalked off in the other direction, letting her tears fall and her sobs shake her body. Before she knew it, dinner was called. It was slow but nice to be surrounded by a happy atmosphere. Afterwards, she headed to her cabin, knowing that her siblings wouldn't follow her. For some time, she cried her eyes out. It was a terrible stab, being betrayed by someone you loved. Love hurts. Eliska knew that the hard way now. Her trust levels for any human being or demigod went down quite a bit. A childhood promise rung in her head. Boys that drink don't love me. Her step-mother had told her that one, making her promise that she would abide to it. Her tears got stronger as she thought about her old life, her life in Czech. All the memories of Bohuslav and Mariska came crashing down on her. At the young time of nine o'clock, the blonde teen was already asleep, having cried herself into it. The morning sun awoke her, shining on her eyelids and making her have a nightmare of fire. She sat up fast, her thoughts racing. She decided it would be a good idea to apologize to Ian. Changing her clothes quickly, Eliska crept out of the cabin. Her brothers had played Capture the Flag last night and were still asleep. The grass was fresh with dew, making Eliska's shoes wet. She hated that feeling but lived with it. Knocking on the Hebe door, she pressed her lips together and fixed her glasses on her face. Trent answered the door, looking hungover. She asked for Ian. "He's still asleep. Sorry, Elle." Trent yawned. "Can I check on him please?" Eliska asked, blinking back disappointment. "Go right ahead." With a flick of her blonde hair, the short girl stepped into the cabin. She sat next to a sleeping Ian on his bunk. His face was oddly ashen. Eliska reached for his strong hands, feeling a wave of shock as she felt them cold and dry. There was no warm pulse of blood inside them. Only cold, painful death. Ian was dead and had probably died a slow death. Chapter Five, Eírik Alicia stood in front of Eírik with vibrant red cheeks. She avoided eye contact at all costs, taking deep and shaky breaths to calm herself. What had she just said? Something about love. If he was right about what he'd just heard, then he knew it would be hard to tell her that he didn't share her feelings. He still felt for a dead girl. "Par-pardon me?" Eírik cleared his throat. "I, uhm... never-mind." Alicia turned to walk away. "No, you said something. I-I just didn't hear you." "I, er, really like you." There was an awkward pause. Alicia carried on the conversation. "So, uhm, will you go out with me?" "C-can I have some time to think?" "Sure," "I need to go... think." Eírik muttered after a pause, grabbing at his head with his hand. Alicia nodded and the two parted ways for the night. The brunet boy headed for his cabin, knowing that his sister's would be enjoying their night of Capture the Flag. He collapsed onto his bed and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. Not many girls in his lifetime had ever loved him as much as Alena. Alicia might grow out of it. Hopefully she would. Something had to happen to make her get over him. The sun was barely dipping behind the horizon and already Eírik felt like sleeping. He knew that if he gave up this early, he'd wake up even earlier and the cycle would start. He longed to be at home with his mother and step-father. Even though it wasn't the best idea, he felt like going home. Like burying his face in his mother's shoulder and drinking in her sweet perfume scent. Morning came tediously. Eírik couldn't remember falling asleep but when he woke up, he was still fully dressed. The sun was pouring through his window. His head swam and his heart went under. He needed to make his choice. Would he choose to never move on and be depressed for the rest of his life, or to move on and embark on a romance with Alicia. Alena would want him to choose the latter. Pulling himself out of bed, Eírik headed for the showers. Afterwards, he went to the Hades cabin, knocking firmly on the door. Alicia answered, halfway through brushing her hair. She continued as the two stood there awkwardly. Eírik cleared his throat and began. "Uhh.. As a response to yesterday, yes." He muttered, running a hand through his damp hair. "Wh-wha-what?" Alicia stammered, all the wind being knocked out of her chest. "Yes." Not being able to help herself, Alicia jumped into Eírik's arms. He hugged her back, heart aching. He had to smile through his tears, though his heart was breaking. Life had to be worth while. But his tears would do him no good. Smiling would make life good. He had to keep trying. Breathing in, he wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss atop her head. "Give me a little longer to get dressed and then I'll meet you near the hearth." Alicia smiled widely, not able to resist it. "Okay," Eírik grinned back at her, heading for the hearth once she'd gone into her cabin. For a few minutes, Eírik stood there awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. Alicia finally met him there, smiling widely. She had her hair done in a new way, a way that made her look quite beautiful. She and Eírik talked for quite a while. In the middle of their fifth topic, Eliska interrupted. Her eyes were rimmed with red and she had pinprick pupils. "Ian," She murmured before collapsing. Chapter Six, Eliska Eliska knew she had interrupted something. She didn't care. The only thing she could feel were strong arms carrying her towards her cabin. She heard a soft and deep voice whispering to her in her native tongue, saying soothing and calming things. She took deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm herself. It didn't help. The images of Ian lying there dead were forever burnt into her brain. "Co se stalo?" Eírik murmured to her, handing her a tissue. (A/N:: "What happened?") "Ian zemřel. Je to všechno moje vina." Eliska sputtered. (A/N::"Ian died. It's all my fault.") "Jak je jeho smrt vaše vina? Vy jste ho nezavraždil, že ne?" (A/N:: "How is his death your fault? You didn't murder him, did you?") Eliska started to sob harder. Within a few minutes, she was hiccuping and sputtering. She explained to her sister's friend what had happened. In the middle of it all, Eírik was nice enough to get her a glass of water. She gulped it down and continued, falling slowly asleep. Once she was, Eírik left her alone. Within a few hours, Eliska had the energy to get up and take a shower. She was hungry and sweaty. A shower calmed her nerves and allowed her to keep her sadness and pessimism at bay. With a smile plastered falsely on her face, the blonde teen went back to her cabin to change. She brushed her hair and hastily did her makeup. It made her feel normal, even only for a moment. Chiron heard of Ian's death quickly. He organized a shroud burning for later that afternoon. Eliska made up her mind that she would not attend. Instead, she would sit in her cabin and take her mind off of her hardships. She'd suffered quite a few in her life and they kept piling up. For the entire day, Eliska sat by herself, switching between reading and listening to music. Afterwards, her brothers walked in, joking and laughing. She looked up from her book and glared at them. They quieted down. The day went by slowly. When it finally came to campfire time, Eliska rejoined the living. They sat around singing, laughs and jokes making all the more better. A cute and shy Apollo boy had sat next to her, often catching her eye and smiling. They started to talk between songs, making each other smile and laugh. But of course, life is not a fairytale and this good luck would not last. There was a faraway scream. A familiar girl that Eliska recognized as Elizabeth, the girl she'd fallen upon and kissed about a month ago, ran into the middle of the seats and started to scream. She told about an axe wielding maniac that was in the camp. She said that he was coming this way and was probably going to murder them. Elizabeth got escorted away by Chiron. Before he left, he ordered all campers to prepare for battle. Clipping on the last bit of armour, Eliska turned to become face to face with the 'axe wielding' man. He looked vaguely familiar. His hair was light blonde and his eyes were a deep blue. He had the same goofy grin as Alena's old friend, Mathias. With a shock, she realized that it was ''Mathias. "Eliska," He laughed. "How've you been?" "W-what's with the axe?" Eliska stammered. "Oh, this? Gift from Luke." "The guy who killed Alena?" "Alena's dead," Mathias shrugged. "Whatever. Guess who delivered the shot?" Eliska felt like throwing up. This was not good. "You bastard! How could you? She was one of your best friends and you killed her!" "Here's a bit of advice, just for you. Everyone is gunna cause you pain. You just need to find the ones worth suffering for." The short blonde's anger peaked. She tossed a punch at Mathias's stomach, landing it and making him double over. Stupidly, she didn't run away while she had the chance. Once he'd gotten over his pain, the blue eyed boy raised his axe. Chapter Seven, Eírik Once he heard of the maniac, Eírik tried his hardest to find Alicia. Since, of course, they were a couple and all, he needed to protect her and not let this romance end like it had with Alena. However, there had been no romance with Alena. Only unspoken love. His heart clenched as he struggled through the crowd. Finally, he found her. Alicia's midnight black hair spoke for her. It was quite a change from his almost-lover's blonde. "There you are," Eírik murmured, grabbing her shoulder and spinning her around. "What?" She asked, grey eyes wide. "I didn't want you to get hurt." Alicia slipped into his arms, giving him a sweet hug. They stood there in an embrace for a few moments before being interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Breanne stood in full armour with her arms crossed. She gave him a mean look and stalked off. Eírik laughed awkwardly and gave Alicia a small kiss on the cheek, a farewell. He headed off, slipping into armour and grabbing a sword. It took Eírik a few minutes of walking through the camp to find Eliska and a very familiar figure. The figure raised his axe, probably about to deliver a killing blow. He picked up his feet, running towards the scene. He took a risky move. It was bound to work. He leapt at the familiar man. The axe clattered out of his hands and skidded a few feet away. Eírik was now on the ground with the man who he recognized as Mathias, his old best friend. There was a moment of awkward shock between the two boys. They stared at each other, jaws hanging slightly ajar. Mathias's familiar blue eyes had a glint of mischief in them. He grinned and rolled over, gaining the advantage. He was now perched atop his friend, laughing maniacally. "Trying to avenge Alena, are we?" Mathias laughed again. "Don't bring her into this!" Eírik's anger burnt within him. "Ha! You really liked her. Do you know how she died?" "Stop it!" "I killed her. Shot her right in the back with a .22 rifle. Man, I still love those things. So easy to use." "Stop it! I hate you!" "It was a little boring lying there for hours. My elbow got a little sore, y'know?" "Get off of me!" Eírik shoved his elbows into the femoral pressure point, making Mathias cry out in pain. He dug the points of his elbows in a little harder and finally got it so that Mathias was nearing his legs. '(A/N:: The Femoral pressure point is kinda like, right near the groin. It really, really hurts when elbows go into it.)' Eírik needed to get Mathias off of him. He pushed his hips up, causing the blonde boy to go off balance and topple forwards. He landed with his arms on either side of the brunet's head. The latter grabbed one of his arms and pulled it in. He rolled to one side, hoping that this wasn't a wasted attempt. He dug his elbows into the femoral again, finally gaining the advantage. He glared down at Mathias. "Alena died slowly. She suffered and you could do nothing about it! You were too busy lazing off here at camp and having a good old time!" Mathias taunted. "I hate you, shut up!" Eírik cried. "Alena died and there's nothing you can do about it." "Shu-!" "Who's Alena?" Alicia's innocent voice murmured. Chapter Eight, Eliska Eliska watched in horror as her friend and sister's old friend fought. She was stunned. Eírik was risking his life for her. She felt bad, she'd caused most of this. The two were really getting at it, starting to argue with each other. Right in the middle of it all, Eírik's girlfriend came from the shadows, asking who Alena was. Elika could almost feel as her and Eírik's hearts clenched and convulsed. "Who's Alena?" Alicia spoke up again, louder and more exasperated. All eyes were on her. Wide and surprised. Eliska glared and looked away, not wanting to deal with this. Apparently neither did Mathias or Eírik as they, too, stayed silent. The silence hung over them like a mistake that no one would ever let you live down. It hung there, awkward and sad. "Alena," Eírik spoke up, voice quavering. "Was my friend." "Was?" Alicia raised her eyebrows. "She was murdered not to long ago." Eliska skulked off, wanting to tell people that the situation was under control. She couldn't though. Finally, she ran into that cute Apollo boy again. She told him about how the maniac had run, with a few injuries of course. He nodded understandingly and lead her back to her cabin. Outside her cabin, the two talked for quite some time. "So, I never got your name?" Eliska nibbled nervously on her lip. "Felix. You're Eliska, right?" He lifted one blond brow. "Yeah," "You're, like, really cute." Eliska blushed. "Thanks. Y-you are too." The two stood there awkwardly, half-flirting. At one point though, Felix nearly took it too far. She ducked into her cabin and locked it. She felt smitten, for the second time in a very short time. She pulled her iPod towards her and shoved the earbuds in, hoping that some music would suppress her feelings. Much to her dismay, a love song came on first. Groaning, she switched it. Eliska's head started to hurt after a few hours. She set the music down and looked at the clock. It was late, very late. Her brothers were already asleep and had been for a few hours. She stumbled into her pyjamas and clambered into bed. A dream haunted her. It was of Alicia standing in the underworld. She was speaking to Alena's ghost. "He loves you more than he loves me." Alicia was crying. "Who? Eírik?" Alena murmured, cocking her head. "Yes. Now, I'm gunna ask you something of the utmost importance. Do you want to come back to life?" "Please." Alena nodded. "Okay, your wish will come true." The dream dissolved as Eliska woke up. Someone was pounding on the door of her cabin. She stood up, slipped into a hoodie and answered it. It was Eírik. "G'morning," Eliska croaked. "What's up?" "Alicia is missing." Eírik exclaimed. Reality struck Eliska as she realized what her dream had meant. Chapter Nine, Eírik Eírik worriedly scanned Eliska's face. She looked like she was trying not to tell him something important. There was an awkward pause before Eírik asked again. "Have you?" He repeated, exasperated and fighting for breath. He'd just run around camp and knocked on the Hades door. He'd knocked for what had seemed like hours until Alicia's younger half-brother, Nico, answered and told him to screw off. "I'm sorry, no." Eliska smiled, looking like she wanted to get back to bed. Eírik left her alone. The brunet boy walked through camp, looking at all the places where Alicia could be hiding. He missed breakfast and the beginning of lunch. Arriving late, he sat awkwardly next to Breanne and Alyssa. No matter how they tried to make conversation with him, he ignored the two of them. After nibbling at the food and hardly touching it, Eírik left to go look more for Alicia. Deep inside his heart, he knew there was no hope. He stood near the hill and looked over the landscape. It was beautiful. The ocean sparkled and the sky was free of clouds. He took a deep breath and, defeated, went back to his cabin. Breanne walked in and sat on the edge of Eírik's bed. "What's wrong?" "My girlfriend is missing." Eírik murmured, twiddling his thumbs. "Who was she?" "Alicia." "Alicia King, daughter of Hades?" "I guess, yeah." "Wow." "What?" "Nothing, she's just really clingy to all her boyfriends." Breanne rolled her eyes. "You didn't tell her you like, had a crush on a different girl right?" "No, I only told her about Alena. She was my friend and mutual crush. She died." "Ouch. Well... Wait she died?" "Yeah." "I think I know where Alicia went. Ever heard of a soul exchange?" "No." "Well, I think that Alicia thinks that you loved Alena more than her. And so, she went to the Underworld and has decided to give her soul and life to Alena. For you." "Alena is coming back to life?" "Probably." Eírik stood up and ran out of the cabin, ecstatic. Adrenaline coursed through his veins as he ran, hoping that he would see Alena once more and tell her how he felt. He passed the old pine tree of his distant relative, Thalia, and the dragon guarding it. '(A/N:: See? See? This has canon stuff :D)' There see was. A wave of relief, happiness, and passion washed over Eírik all in the same moment. Alena looked tattered but all right. Her blonde hair shone as it usually did. She was stumbling, like she wasn't wearing the glasses or contacts that she needed. They must've fallen out after she'd gotten shot. Alena couldn't see him, she was too focused on where her feet were going. "Alena!" Eírik shouted, tears burning in his eyes. Her violet eyes shot up, squinting at him so she could see. "Eírik?" The two demigods ran into each other's embraces, hugging tightly. Eírik could feel Alena starting to cry on his shoulder. He reached around to her head and kissed her. He'd been saving this kiss for quite a long time. It was full of passion. "Miluji tě," Eírik murmured in Alena's ear. '(A/N:: "I love you.") ' "Já tebe taky," Alena sobbed, leaning into his shoulder and kissing it. '(A/N:: "I love you too.")' Chapter Ten, Eliska On her way to her cabin to grab something before heading to training, Eliska saw Breanne standing outside her cabin, looking confused but hopeful at the same time. She confronted Eliska, calling her name and smiling widely. The girl laughed as she neared, grabbing the shorter girl's shoulder and taking in a deep breath. There was a small awkward moment before Breanne finally spoke. She started with something that made the blonde girl's heart swell. "I have some really good news for you," Breanne grinned. "Eírik thinks that Alena might be alive." "Pardon?" Eliska stammered, eyes going wide behind her glasses. "Come with me," Breanne pulled the much shorter girl to the hill, stopping near the top. They gazed down onto the dirt road. Eliska's heart skipped a beat at what she saw. There, in the middle of the road, was Alena, wrapped in the embrace of Eírik. They looked totally at peace. Eliska half expected Alena to fade away as a part of her imagination. She didn't. The younger twin walked slowly down the hill, her legs feeling heavy. She was freaking out. Once near the couple, she stood there. Alena noticed her sister and ran to hug her, a wave of affection washing through her. They shared a warm hug. "I thought you'd never come back," Eliska blubbered, tears filling her eyes. "I'm sorry," Alena took a breath, reaching to wipe her eyes. The twins and Eírik made their way up the hill and back to camp. Alena told her sister that she needed a shower. Eliska took it upon herself to tell Chiron that her twin was alive. The grave would be no longer needed, no one would have to mourn. She opened her eyes and looked upwards. It was sunny, as always. She saw what she didn't see yesterday. Life, love, happiness. She felt a familiar warmth fill her system. She went to the Big House and knocked on the door. "Yes, child?" Chiron asked, studying her lit-up face. "Alena is alive!" Eliska burst, laughing and smiling. "Good, good. I knew that'd happen." Eliska skipped off, wanting to hug someone. She saw Felix, the son of Apollo. He was with a son of Demeter. They looked like good friends. Felix was laughing and the other boy was smiling. He looked like he'd endured quite a few battles in his lifetime. The young blonde girl walked towards them, wrapping her arms around Felix, even though he was at least five inches taller. She looked up at his surprised face. "Uhh... Like, hi, Eliska." Felix smiled nervously, hugging her lightly. "Hi. Sorry, my sister, who was dead, is now alive." Eliska pressed her lips together, embarrassed. "Oh, well, that's like, amazing and really cool. You, like, have reason to be happy." "Thanks. Who's this?" She gestured to the brunet boy standing next to him. "Nathan. He's, like, my best friend." "Felix..." Nathan smiled. "We've been friends for most of our lives. Of course we're best friends." "Haha, yeah. Eliska is, like, one of my newer friends." "I see." Nathan was a sweet person. Calm and sweet. Eliska went back to her cabin, trying to remember what she needed for training. Her iPod, of course. She was going to mostly work out. For this, she needed music. A run was never the same without music. She started on her run, a light jog at first. She listened to all the songs that were on her 'happy' playlist. Within minutes, she was smiling and running, building her strength and becoming more fit. When the teen returned to her cabin to see Alena and Eírik tangled in a cuddle, she smiled. Life was good again. '''The End. (A/N:: Sorry about the terrible length. I really wanna work on the third one, it's gunna be epic. Sequel: Any Way The Wind Blows.)' Category:Romance Category:PG-13 Rated Story Category:Hurt/Comfort Category:Demigods Category:Original Character Category:Drama Category:Death Category:Thinkaboutthisname Category:Complete